Does this name ring a bell? I just got finished reading "MiG Pilot" and I can say without reservation that this is one of the finest books I have ever read. For those who don't know (or don't remember), Belenko was the MiG-25 pilot who defected in 1976 with his aircraft to an airfield in Japan. The most notable sections are the ones in italics that profile the shift in his thought processes from a favorable view towards communism to doubt to a fiery hatred of the abuses and lies. He repeatedly noted that everything was dirty (of vomit, rotten food and other odors) and that it was only X number of years until 1980, which was the year the Party promised that the dream of True Communism would be realized. He arrived in America in late 1976 and immediately noted that if everything was as it seemed, America had realized True Communism (aka the classless society) many years before Russia promised it. Everybody had cars, the streets and apartments were clean and well furnished, and the grocery stores were well stocked with fresh food and very clean. Belenko noted that in America everybody had the chance to make his own way without interference or binding direction from the government. At this point, I thought of Enron, and how most people reacted with demands that the government HELP them. If only they knew! He also mentioned guns, and what they meant. I will withhold that juicy morsel for you to go find yourself, but tonight, I am just damnn proud to be an American.
[USA]